Variable speed power transmission gearing



Aug. 1942- H. SINCLAIR 2,292,776

VARIABLE SPEED POWER TRANSMISSION GEARING Filed Dec. 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Harold ,Sa'nchur ATTO RNEYS 8- 1942-1 H. SlNCLAiR I 2,292,776

VARIABLE SPEED POWER TRANSMISSION GEARING Filed Dec. 23, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORN EYS Patented Aug. 11, 1942 warn-:1)v STATES-PATENT OFFICE Harold Sinclair, Kensington, London, England Application December 23, 1938,.Serial No.,247,428 In Great Britain December 24, 1937 3 Claims,

This invention relates to power-transmission toothed wheel gearing of the planetary type adapted to.-be driven by a continuously running driving machine and to yield a plurality of forward speed ratios, such for example as is suitable for use on a motor vehicle.

An object of this invention is to provide such a gearing which is particularly adapted .to be connected to the driving machine by a hydraulic power transmitter (e. g. hydraulic coupling) of the kinetic type.

A further object is to provide in a planetary gearing an improved arrangement, for enabling rapid gear changes to be effected while the system isoperating and also for enabling the driven shaft to be disengaged and progressively re-engaged, for example in changing to and from neutral when the driven shaft is stationary.

MyPatent No. 2,245,017 describes change-speed gears capable of synchronous self-shifting between the different gear ratios, and another object .of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement of such synchro-self-shifting gear;

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic draw- I ings, in which:

Fig. l-is a part-sectional side elevation of part of the power transmission system of an automobile,

Fig. 2 is a section, to a smaller scale, on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fi 3 is a section of a detail taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. l, and a Fig. 4 is a sectional plan on theline 4-4 in i 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the engine (not shown), which rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow, is coupled either directly, or through a hydraulic coupling I of the kinetic type, to the input shaft II of a two-speed planetary synchro-self-shifting gear yielding a direct drive and an indirect low-speed ratio. This gear is somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 2 of my Patent No. 2,245,017 (hereinabove referred to) except that it does not yield a reverse gear and the input and output ends are transposed. Thus the input shaft II drives an internally toothed annulus I2 meshing with planet wheels, such as I3, journalled on a planet carrier l4 fast with the output shaft I5. These planet wheels mesh with a sun wheel I6 formed on a sleeve shaft I1 left-handed coarse-pitch screw thread I8 on its the sleeve I1, alternatively, under the controlv ofoppositely facing pawls 22 and 2| respectively,

with a toothed member 23 fast with the output shaft I5, and with a toothed reaction brake drum 24 which is capable of rotation. A brakeband 25 can be disengaged by a control member, e. g. a pedal 26, from the drum 24. The brake :band is normally kept contracted on the drum by a tension spring 21 acting on an arm 23 fixed to the pedal shaft 29, which actuates the brake band through an arm 30.

The nut I9 is provided with a locking sleeve 3| which is preselectively controllable to bias it towards, and to lock it in, highand low-speed positions, by engaging its two sets-of internal splines alternatively with splines 32 on the sun sleeve I1. The locking sleeve is actuated by a striking yoke 33 biased towards the low-speed position by a spring 34 and capable of being displaced into the high-speed position by a control lever connected to a flexible cable 35.

The output shaft I5 of the planetary unit is integralwith the input pinion 30 of a countershaft gear 31 yielding, say, three forward speeds .and reverse and provided with synchromesh I02 respectively in a shift rail I03 for first and reverse speeds and a shift rail I04 for second and third speeds. The recess I02 is elongated, and a spring-loaded plunger I05 normally pro- Jects into this recess far enough to restrain transverse movement of the tail lever I00. A bar I08 adapted to be engaged by the tail lever I 00 is mounted on a bell-crank lever I01 pivoted at I08 to the casing of the gearing 31 and engaging with the pre-selector control cable 35. A rectangula-r plate I09 is fixed to the inside of the gear casing and serves to engage the tail lever I00 and prevent the latter from moving transversely beyond the plunger I05 unless the gear lever 40 is in the second or third *gear position. When journalled on the output shaft and having a the gear lever is in any of the conventional gear positions, the bell-j-crank lever III! is in the position shown and the planetary unit is accordingly locked in or preselected to the low-speed ratio. Movement of the gear lever laterally from the third (and if' desired also the second) gear position causes the tail lever I to move in front of (or behind) the plate I", depressing and engaging behind the plunger I05, and displacing the bar I06 so as to rock the bell-crank lever I" and thus preselect the high-speed ratio in the planetary unit. The plunger spring is strong enough to,hold the gear lever thus displaced against the pull of the spring 34 (Fig. 1).

In operation, with the engine running and the countershaft unit 31 in'neutral, the pedal 20 is depressed, and as the planetary unit is locked in low gear, 1. e. the teeth 20 are engaged with the brake drum 24, the brake drum 24 can spin idly backwards when the input shaft Ii of the countershaft unit is arrested owing to engagement of agear therein, for example first gear. As the pedal is released, the brake drum is gradually arrested by the brake band and the vehicle is set smoothly in motion. Changes up to second and third gears in the countershaft unit are made in the usual way, the pedal 26 being depressed to allow the synchromesh clutches to regulate the speed of the input shaft ii of the countershaft gear. To change from third to fourth gear, the gear lever 40 is urged laterally to actuate the cable 35 and thereby preselect direct drive in the planetary unit and the engine is momentarily decelerated sufficiently to disengaged the nut I! from the reaction drum 24 and to cause, it to engage and become locked with the toothed member 23. To change from fourth to third gear the gear lever 40 is returned to the third gear position to preselect the indirect gear in the planetary unit, the engine is decelerated only sufilciently to unload the looking sleeve SI and to allow it to unlock the direct drive, and the engine is immediately. thereafter accelerated to engage the indirect gear in the,

planetary unit, which'becomes locked in that V 45 drives-the first of which operates to clutch togear. Changes to still lower speeds are made while the pedal is kept depressed.

Iclaim: 1. Change-speed gearing comprising an input shaft, an output shaft, a planetary gear train having three co-operating relatively rotatableelements the first and second of which are connected respectively to said shafts and the third of which serves as a reaction element,

ber rigid with one of-said first and second planetary gear elements, a third 'iaw-clutch me'mber constrained tovmove obliquely withrespe'ct I so sumption of the underdrive ratio.

to said reaction element between po'sitionsjin which it is engaged respectively with said first and second Jaw-clutch members, pawls associated with at least one of said Jaw-clutch members for effecting smooth engagement of the law-- clutch teeth, and controllable locking means operable, when said second andv third Jaw-clutch members are engaged together, to prevent their disengagement. T

2. Change-speed gearing comprising an input shaft, an output-shaft, a planetary gear having an annulus gear element rigid with said input shaft, a planet-carrier element rigid with said A output shaft and a sun gear element, a rotatable first jaw-clutch member, control-means operable for progressively arresting said jaw-clutch memher, a second Jaw-clutch member rigid with said planet-carrier element, a third Jaw-clutch member constrained to move helically with respectto said sun gear element and engageable, in the course of such helical movement, alternatively with said distant! second law-clutch members, auxiliary synchronisingmeans associated with at least -'one of said jaw-clutch members and co-operating with other of said jaw-clutch members for effecting engagement of the jawclutch teeth, and controllable locking means op- 0 3. A planetary toothed-wheel gear having a brakeable element, three cooperating relatively rotatable elements the first and second of which serve respectively as the input and output elements and the third of which serves as the reaction element of the gear and includes helical torque-transmitting surfaces and a set of jawclutch teeth, said teeth being alternatively engageable with a set of jaw-clutch teeth associated with said brakeable element and a set of jaw-clutch teeth associated with one of said input and output elements, pawls on at least one of said iawclutch toothed elements for cooperation withtheJaw-clutch teeth on the others thereof to provide two subsidiary unidirectional gether said brakeable element and said reaction element under the influence of driving torque reaction onsaidihelical surfaces and the second of which operates tociutch together said' one of the input an'd'outp'ut' elements and said reaction element under the influence of overrunning torque reactionon' said helical surfaces, control means operablefto'permit and prevent uhclutchingot said lastj-mentioned two elements under as driving torque. reaction to establish respectively 'underdriveand direct drive ratios while the gear is. running, and'control means operable for progressively restraining rotation-of said brakeable element to permit smooth interruption and re- HAROLD SINCLAIR. 

